#32: Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage

Released In: 1994
Developer: Software Creations
Publisher: LJN

      Spider-Man and Venom team up to take on an army of villains led by Carnage that includes Doppleganger, Shriek, Carrion and the Demogoblin in this classic beat 'em up from LJN based on the fourteen-part Marvel storyline. Along the way, you can obtain help from the other Marvel heroes, specifically Black Cat, Captain America, Cloak, Dagger, Deathlok, Firestar, Ironfist, and Morbius. The game also features a soundtrack by the rock band Green Jelly.

Syd Lexia: You know, the beat 'em up genre was the one place where the Genesis and the Super NES were more or less evenly matched. The SNES had a bunch of great Capcom beat 'em ups, while the Genesis offered up Sega's equally excellent Streets of Rage and Golden Axe games. But then there were the ones that ended up on both platforms, like Maximum Carnage. The Super Nintendo and Sega versions of Maximum Carnage play exactly the same, but the SNES version is way better due to its superior graphics and sound.

As for the actual game, it's pretty damn fun. The only real complaint I have about it is that it's called Spider-Man *and* Venom, yet there's no two player co-op mode. Instead, the name stems from the fact that you have the option of playing as Venom in some levels. Always pick Venom when the game lets you... Venom fucking rules. Also, most of the helper characters do different things when you're using him.

Valdronius: This is a pretty fun, albeit extremely difficult, comic-styled beat 'em up, where you get to beat the piss out of girls, fat men, crooked cops and Maddox look-alikes. I tried to get through this game, but after the umpteenth battle with Doppleganger, Shriek, Carrion, Demogoblin and Carnage in the park, I gave up.

Douche McCallister: Take my favorite bad guy and put him up against my second favorite bad guy and Spiderman, what do you get? A game that is about a billion times better than The Death and Return of Superman. Plus I never really liked DC... Marvel PWNS them. So does this game. Case closed.

DarkMaze: Did I ever beat this game? HELL NO. But I probably played it hundreds of times anyway, and it has to be one of the most satisfying beat 'em up games I ever played, thanks to those wonderful THWACK! sounds and the variety of attacks. Add to that a pretty excellent soundtrack by Green Jelly (who I had otherwise never heard of but occasionally got confused with Green Day) and you’ve got yourself a winner.

I wish I could remember how far I got, but all I could say is that it’s someplace where I’m fighting Carnage, Demogoblin, and… hey, that’s like every level! One thing I do remember though is that I always wondered if you could actually beat all those fat guy bosses of Level... uh... One? Two? You know, the one where they beat you no matter what and then Cloak automatically comes in to save your spider-behind.

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